I am interested in hearing from anyone researching these surnames or their
variations, particularly Belmont Co., OH; Pleasants or Tyler Co., WV; or
Orange or Dutchess Co., NY.

The families described here are believed to come from one family, though the
proof of that final connection has been elusive.

The STEED Family

John STEED was born c1775 in Bedford County, Pennsylvania. His wife was
Rebecca BARKER, also born c1775 in Bedford County. She was the daughter
Peter BARKER. John and Rebecca (BARKER) STEED lived in Virginia,
and what is now Pleasants County, West Virginia. There is considerable information
on the descendants of their son, Elijah STEED b. 1795, but little on their
other children: John STEED Jr., b. aft. 1803; Robert STEED b. 1805,
m. Sarah Ann DEMENT; and James STEED b 1813, m2.
Elizabeth FRANCIS.

The STEAD Family

STEAD is a frequent spelling variation of STEED, though pronounced with
a "short e" rather than a "long e". Four of the sons of
Peter Noah STEED, son of Elijah STEED described above, changed the
spelling and pronounciation to spite their father. Family legend states that they
felt that their father had "abandoned them with no one but their mother
to raise them". Peter Noah STEED was the second of fourteen children. He
was b. 1821 and m. Elizabeth Sarah ROBERTS. They had 14 children, including
Levi Thomas STEAD, Peter B. STEAD(who changed his name to Robert),
Andrew Jackson STEAD, and Christy Dora STEAD (male), the sons who
changed the surname. It is not currently known what happened to
Peter Noah STEED or where he died.

The STIDD Family

Family tradition (again) holds that when Andrew Jackson STEAD (one of the
four sons mentioned above) married Eva Minerva STIDD, they were cousins
of some sort. Minerva STIDD was born in Belmont County, Ohio in 1867. Her
great-grandfather, David STIDD, was born in 1764 in New York and brought
his family to Belmont County by covered wagon in 1818.

David STIDD was the son of Benjamin STIDD and his wife, Mary.
Benjamin STIDD and Mary were married in 1760 in Fishkill, Dutchess County,
New York. Benjamin STIDD died 1803 in Wallkill, Orange County, New York.
He named seven children in his will, though little is known about any of them,
except for David STIDD.

There is quite a bit of information known about the descendants of David,
though, as always, there are many holes to fill in.

I am looking for more of the many STEED, STIDD, and
STEAD descendants. I am also looking for the connection between
John STEED and Benjamin STIDD. There is also a
Jonathan Owen STIDD (the identical name of Eva Minerva STIDD's
father) residing near Benjamin STIDD in New York. The connection between
Jonathan and Benjamin is also unknown, but they are speculated to be related.